Brăila
[key], city, SE Romania, in Walachia, on the Danube River. The chief
grain-shipping port of Romania, it is also a major industrial and commercial
city. Machinery, metals, foodstuffs, and textiles are the principal
products. Brăila probably dates from Greek times. It was burned by
the Turks in 1462 and by Stephen the Great of Moldavia in 1470. Taken by the
Turks c.1550, it played an important role in the Russo-Turkish Wars (18th
cent.) and was captured several times by Russian forces. The Treaty of
Adrianople (1829) awarded the city to the Romanian principality of Walachia.
The Cathedral of St. Michael, a state theater, and an art museum are in
Brăila.
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